Chapter 380: After the Ambush

Vinny stared in bewilderment.

In a split second, those arrogant Barbarians had turned into headless flies. Although they had the numerical advantage, they were powerless against these warriors who appeared before them. The warriors were shrouded in a golden barrier which the Barbarians weren't able to leave a scratch on. Vinny witnessed a Barbarian attempting to sneak up on a warrior, but when his short ax hacked at the barrier, it didn't deal any damage. Instead, the warrior turned around swiftly and pierced his sword into the Barbarian's throat. The warriors seemed to be well-trained and were extremely orderly. However, Vinny's attention was fixated on one person.

The black-haired young man that first appeared before the Barbarians. He was the only one amongst the warriors that weren't protected by the barrier and his movements were as quick as a ghost. Vinny had witnessed five to six Barbarians rushing in to surround him, leaving no escape route at all. However, the black-haired young man emerged behind their backs and in a blink of an eye, the Barbarians all turned into corpses.

What Swordsmanship is this?

Vinny was sure that no one in the village was as powerful as this young man in terms of Swordsmanship. Not only that, that figure had a pretty face — of a beautiful lady...?

The battle finally ended.

Although the Barbarians had exerted all their strength, they couldn't leave a scratch on their enemies. Also, even though they realized that the barrier could be destroyed by continuous attacks, a brand new barrier would emerge above the warriors instantly. Not to mention, the difference in strength between both parties were huge. The reason why the Barbarians were even threatening was only due to them spending most of their lives in the border areas.

Most of the Barbarians had been defeated. A small group of them had escaped into the forest, and after some horrifying screams, the forest returned to its peaceful tranquility. The entire battleground began to quieten, only leaving a few Barbarians left to struggle for their lives.

"Who exactly are they..."

Vinny recovered some of his strength after a few moments of rest. He shook his head and began to pick himself up from the ground. Out of a sudden, a shadow before him approached at a quick pace. Vinny lifted his head subconsciously and saw a bloodied Barbarian darting towards him with a chopper raised high above his head.

"Be careful!"

At this moment, a crisp voice rang in Vinny's ears. Before he knew it, a blonde young lady clad in a silver, leather armor charged in from the side. She yelled as she brandished the merciless steel shield on her hands. Vinny stared at the young lady as she leaped into the air and nailed the Barbarian onto the ground with her shield acting as a sledgehammer. The bottom of the shield crushed the Barbarian's skull, sending a mixture of blood, bones, and brains splattering onto the young lady's delicate, pretty little face.

"Hu..."

The young lady didn't seem to be affected by this at all. After smashing her enemy to death, she wiped the filth off her face casually and turned towards Vinny.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah... Yes... I am fine..."

Vinny replied sluggishly and almost instinctively. The young lady revealed a delightful smile and waved her right hand to the other side.

"Leader! That's the last one!"

"Get ready to clean up this place."

Rhode swept a glance at the young man donned in a militia attire before turning his gaze to the village before him. The entire village had almost collapsed and there was smoke everywhere. The villagers were trying to put out the raging flames with buckets of water. However, this task was too demanding. Rhode pondered for a while and turned to Marlene.

"Marlene put out the flames."

"..."

Marlene stared blankly without any response. Lize noticed something was off and she quickly tugged on Marlene's sleeve which returned the young lady to her senses.

"Ah... Mr. Rhode. What's the matter?"

"Put out the flames... Lize, bring your men to the village to help the villagers."

"Yes, Mr. Rhode."

Lize nodded hurriedly and beckoned for the Clerics. Marlene, who had woken from her reverie, brandished her wand in the air and a violent jet of water shot from the ground instantly, covering the entire sky. The water transformed into a rainstorm and in a blink of an eye, the raging flames were totally extinguished.

Oh my Lord!

Vinny almost bit his tongue at this scene — That's a Mage! Who exactly are these people?

Vinny could no longer keep his cool. From the start, he thought that these people were probably local patrol forces from Paphield. However, they weren't dressed in any attire which removed this possibility. Vinny guessed that they were a mercenary group that was here for an adventure, but... is it possible for a normal mercenary group to have a Mage?

The locals living by the edge of the border area had simple and tough lives. Due to this, these people were extremely fearful and respectful towards mysterious beings. Not to mention that Marlene was a Mage in the Middle Circle, these locals would praise her even if she was only in the Apprentice Stage who could only summon a circle of flames from her palm.

Rhode frowned slightly at the thought of Marlene's peculiar behavior. As a matter of fact, Marlene had been acting strangely before they had left the stronghold. It was rare for her to be distracted, but he couldn't figure out what she was thinking. Furthermore, Rhode sensed that she was avoiding him. When there was a need for Marlene to report, she would only do so when there were more people around them. Moreover, after that night in Golden City, Rhode noticed that Marlene had been through some kind of self-reflection. Although he couldn't understand what this young lady was thinking, at least there wasn't anything wrong on the outside. Even when Rhode accepted Marlene's invitation to her Senia home to meet her father, Marlene didn't act strangely at all. Initially, Rhode thought that the influence of that matter should have reached an end, and even though that night was unforgettable, he didn't mention it since Marlene had decided not to speak about it. Anyway, Rhode wasn't in any hurry or lacking companions in bed.

But what could be the cause for Marlene to act so peculiarly?

Rhode guessed that it might have been the special time of the month of females and didn't put much thought into it. However, it seemed that things weren't that simple? Could it be that this young lady was much more sensitive in her emotions?

Without a doubt, Rhode didn't question Marlene on this. At least, this was a private matter for Marlene and he had decided to observe the situation before deciding. It wouldn't be too late for Rhode to cut in if Marlene's condition became worse. Rhode swept Marlene a final glance before stepping into the village.

"Ha..."

Marlene's eyes were filled with confusion as she gazed at Rhode's back. She knew she was acting strangely, but she couldn't stop her thoughts from straying. The things she saw in that afternoon were too thrilling for her and she couldn't forget about them at all. Even when she shut her eyes, the scene would still emerge in her head.

Marlene had received a proper education since she was a child and although she wasn't living in a perfectly germ-free room, such scenes were still rarely seen. For her to witness such a scene with her own eyes was too stimulating. It was like an innocent and obedient girl who loved to read fairy tales suddenly stumbling across her family member's private collection of high-definition videos of *ahem* selfies. Such a shock could be said to knock her world over.

Due to this, Marlene didn't dare to look at Rhode and Canary in the eye for the past two days. She was like a child who had done something wrong, living in fear that they would discover her naughty deed.

Other than this, there was another knot in the young lady's heart, and that was her relationship with Rhode. Marlene realized that things weren't what she imagined it to be — Miss Canary and Mr. Rhode seemed to have an intimate relationship and they had even... Marlene felt uncomfortable whenever she had this thought because she also had such intimate times with Rhode before. However, as a young lady who had amorous feelings for the first time, Marlene didn't know how to express her intentions. She wished to inform Rhode that she didn't mind, but her reserved personality made it difficult. If she took the initiative, would Rhode see her as a lewd woman? A woman who craves for men?

Marlene flustered every time this thought came to her mind. More importantly, it would be fine if Marlene had a clear conscience. However, the truth was the exact opposite as she realized that she indeed had such desires — after all, Marlene's virginity was given under the influence of medication which left an even deeper impression for her. Furthermore, Marlene was very sensitive and wishful since this was the first time she had such amorous desires. After that experience, she had wanted to prolong the sensation and this was also a normal human nature. However, Marlene was worried that she was inclining towards the path of a lewd woman. That was why she couldn't express her thoughts to Rhode with 'her head held high'.

"Sister Marlene?"

Anne's voice sounded and woke Marlene from her daze.

"Are you okay? Do you have any troubles?"

"Ah, no... I'm just a little tired."

Marlene forced a smile and shook her head as she turned around.

"Let's go."